


like a habit (i'm thinking of you)

by stardots



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death, Smut, also attempted seriousness, attempted humor, blood mention, csi/criminal minds!au ish, murder descritptions, murders happen and they investigate them... u get the drift, partners!dojae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-09-03 03:37:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8694856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardots/pseuds/stardots
Summary: Numbers are constantly running through Jaehyun's mind, be it coding, hacking, or figuring out how much his purchase of pure sugar will cost him. When he and Doyoung are set on a new case, the numbers tangle together into a huge web Jaehyun can't cut himself loose from.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> lil note: i do not know how to hack or code so if there's any inaccuracies in terminology... i apologize.  
> title is taken from actual king taemin's iconic song press your number that inspired me to write this fic in the first place
> 
> enjoy my guys

A tinge of blood lingered under the heavy odor of scented candles and air freshener that hung in the room, and Jaehyun felt like his quick breakfast, which had consisted of over-sugared coffee and a bagel, was making an even quicker return up his throat. He swallowed it though, as throwing up would seem unprofessional, and he needed to be as professional as possible out in the field. He wrinkled his nose as his eyes moved to the floor.

“You couldn’t, like,” he started, calculating the depth of the wound across the victim’s neck before looking at his partner, “move the body before bringing me here?”

“Nope.” Kim Dongyoung, or Doyoung as he preferred after falling victim to far too many Ring Ding Dong jokes (“That’s my favorite SHINee song!” Jaehyun had grinned after Doyoung recounted his past trauma, to which the other had given him a dead-eyed stare. “I hate that song. I hate SHINee. I hate cola.”), replied, popping the ‘p’. “They wanted you here as soon as possible.”

“Early bird gets the worm…” Jaehyun muttered as he moved around the spacious office, tip toeing around marked evidence and medical examiners, his mind shifting into gear as he got ready to take in the information Doyoung would start listing up for him.

“Victim’s name is-“

“Lee Taeyong.” Jaehyun cut him off. He had guessed from the minute they arrived at the corporate building that the young CEO would most likely be the one about to get cozy in a body bag, and he knew he was right after seeing the infamous silver hair contrasting with the expensive looking burgundy carpet. “He was my first case, remember? Wait, you were still an intern, never mind.”

“Shut up, dumbass.” Doyoung sneered while Jaehyun laughed; all the while, he was already storing away the room’s layout and décor into his head, categorizing and filtering through the details, searching for anything that would be out of place in a CEO’s office.

They were an odd duo. Two opposite species introduced as partners, stuck together for three years and counting. Doyoung had gone to university and gotten a fancy degree and an even fancier certificate after his internship, making him an official agent and a valuable asset to the National Intelligence Service; Jaehyun, on the other hand, did graphic design in university, and had yet to finish his last year but probably never would.

As a kid, he had spent most of his days playing video games, and when he had gotten his first computer, he had started designing small platform games. Despite his hatred for mathematics, he was good with numbers, or “ _fucking amazing”_ , as his dad had exclaimed after he had coded his first game at the age of nine.

Coding turned into hacking, and hacking turned into the most exciting game Jaehyun had ever gotten his hands on. His high school days were spent digging up messages to prove that someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend were cheating on them and jailbreaking various phones for cash. Some of it went to his tuition, most of it went to new computers, laptops, game consoles and various gadgets (like the Polaroid camera he only got Rilakkuma and Hello Kitty printed films for). He would hack the Facebook profiles of teachers who gave him too much homework and upload weird shit, or hack into online games to unlock rewards for himself, and spike up monsters’ levels in the newbie areas. In college, he moved onto bigger stuff, borderline illegal stuff and maybe tipping over that line in a few instances, but he made use of fake IP’s, deleted his traces, and created a proxy server that would lead suspicion away from his tiny dorm room plastered with embarrassing anime posters and his cherished life-sized Kyary Pamyu Pamyu poster.

One day, or two, maybe three days, he couldn’t quite recall, he had been camping at his friend’s dorm to work on a paper about how different hues or contrasting colors can catch the public’s eye as a marketing strategy for advertisements etcetera. It was boring, and was way too short to be turned in with only a few hours before the deadline, even though he had been working on it for quite some time.

Mark, the freshman who had the misfortune of befriending the messy graphic design major, had made him a disturbing, military green concoction (“Is that an unground coffee bean?” “Just drink it, it has red bull in it.”) that Jaehyun had swallowed in one go so he could fight off the sleep tugging at his eyelids and finish the paper. The paper never got finished, not like it needed to be anyways since he was pulled out of school the following day, and to this day Jaehyun still blamed Mark for what had happened next.

_“Mark, promise me one thing.” Jaehyun had muttered at 2.38 am, the younger humming a reply as he was immersed in coding his part of a game the two had been working on together. “Never hack into the government’s database.”_

_“…what?” Jaehyun changed the internet server to the one in his own room so all traces pointed to that location, knowing he had fucked up majorly after the 100% caffeine mixture had made his brain only see numbers and think of dumb shit to do. Like hacking into the government’s database. He got up and grabbed his laptop and charger, holding them to his chest as if they were his lifeline. “Jae, what the fuck. What did you do? Hey, where are you going!?”_

_Jaehyun felt blanked out the entire 20-minute walk back to his own dorm, hoping some random thug would jump out from an alley and just violently maul his head in. He was doomed anyways. If his life didn’t end after this was over, his mother would end it for him. Once inside his personal haven, the caffeine was finally wearing off; he flopped onto his bed and stared at the love of his life, tugging at his hair absentmindedly._

_“I love you Kyary, never doubt that, even when I’m gone.”_

_He fell asleep, and woke up only an hour later by someone roughly shaking his shoulder, with what his foggy mind recognized as a gun pointed to his face. His small room was filled with people in bulletproof vests and helmets and weapons, but he was too sleepy to even care. He closed his eyes again, concluded that he had lived his twenty-one years on this earth well and that he really just wanted to go back to sleep, mumbling ‘just shoot me, please’._

Of course, he wasn’t shot that day. Instead, he went through a whole week of interrogation and was kept locked up and isolated in some room, but was graciously allowed to bring his 3DS. There was no internet connection though, which was understandable, and after playing through Pokémon Soul Silver, Y _and_ Omega Ruby, he was finally let out and given a choice. He would become an agent for NIS, using his abilities to work for the government, or he would be sent to some prison in nowhere land and never touch any electronic devices ever again.

His hand twitched at the mere thought of the last option, so he walked over to Mr. Lee’s desk where a shiny iMac was placed, screaming for him to unlock all the information hidden on it.

Doyoung nodded his head towards their team leader, busy talking with a woman from forensics, as he strode over to join his partner behind the desk, hand resting on the gun holster in his belt like it usually did. Jaehyun wasn’t allowed a gun, he was deemed _dangerous_ , after all the illegal shit he had done in the past was put in a pretty, thick folder and placed in front of him during an interview with his new boss. He thought three years as an agent would at least get him a bottle of pepper spray, or a Taser.

“Ay Cap!” Jaehyun waved, making said boss, Ji Hansol, look up from his conversation, and Doyoung elbowed Jaehyun in the ribs for being disrespectful. He motioned to the computer while nursing his side, stepping on Doyoung’s foot. “Can I…?”

“Go ahead, there’s no evidence over there except for whatever’s stored inside that thing. Knock yourself out.” Hansol smiled before his attention moved back to where it originally was. Doyoung cleared his throat as Jaehyun sat down and popped his knuckles before working his magic across the keyboard.

“He was murdered approximately at 11.30 pm, the weapon concluded to be a knife, or something else that’s slim and sharp, considering the cut is very clean.”

“So, you might be the murder weapon? Slim frame and sharp tongue, you know.” Jaehyun grinned and let out a snort at the fact that Taeyong’s password hint was his actual password, while Doyoung smacked his head lightly. “ _totoro123…_ Cool, he likes Ghibli movies.”

“Jung Jaehyun, you’re an insufferable piece of shit.” Doyoung snarled before continuing with his report. “We think it might be the suspect Kun has been dealing with over in China a while back, that he or she have moved their playground to South Korea as there has been no trace of them for the past four months.”

“The ghost killer?” Jaehyun’s ears perked up, eyes moving rapidly across the screen as he searched the content in all the folders for something useful. Lee Taeyong was a suspect of mass fraud a few years back, and Jaehyun was put on the team of investigation. He hadn’t become the CEO just yet, only having graduated from university a couple of years prior, he was charming and really handsome, and Jaehyun may or may not have had a few wet dreams about the man. Taeyong was a smooth talker, never fazed by any accusations or scare methods that had been used against him during interrogations, and after two weeks of Jaehyun digging up almost everything on the guy from his bank records, SNS profiles, private folders, emails and even his _Tinder_ , he was cleared, and the culprit ended up being another company worker.

“Yeah, that one.” A silence grew between them since the computer specialist didn’t need any in-depth information on someone being slaughtered (it just made him queasy, really), and because the case was still in the early stages, Doyoung didn’t have anything else to give him. “There’s actually someone we probably should speak with, now that I think about it. They’re down in the lobby, we can just bring the computer back to the office so you can work on it- oh my god stop looking at puppy photos!”

Jaehyun clicked out of the folder called ‘Ruby’ with a pout while agreeing, following his older partner to the elevator that would lead them back to the ground floor, looking anywhere but the body still sprawled on the ground.

The corporate building was huge, consisting of an impressing number of 36 floors, the insides decorated minimalistic yet elegant. Jaehyun felt out of place, his grey hoodie and washed out jeans contrasting with the gold accented flower vases and everyone in pressed suits. Even Doyoung was wearing dress pants and a freshly ironed shirt, and Jaehyun decided he had to stop thinking about the uncomfortable fashion choices of his partner when they arrived at their destination and focus. In the lobby, there was a person, shorter than the two of them, talking with some police officers, looking nervous and fidgeting with the cuffs on his shirtsleeves.

“Excuse me, you’re Mr. Lee’s assistant, right?” Doyoung gently greeted, gesturing for the officers to leave them, holding out his hand to the man to shake. “I’m Kim Doyoung, an agent for the NIS, and this is my partner.”

“Jung Jaehyun.” He smiled, displaying his dimples, a trick he used to make people more comfortable around him. He held out his hand, and the assistant shook it gingerly.

“I’m Park Sungjun, nice to meet you Mr. Kim, Mr. Jung.” He bowed courteously, fixing his tie after standing straight again. He had an accent, a mild one, but Jaehyun ignored it and figured it was probably just dialect. His hair was jet black and went to below his ears, barely showing his lobes. The suit looked too big on him, but fit him perfectly at the same time. The assistant was really cute, Jaehyun concluded, taking in the crescent eyes and prominent nose.

“You were the last person to leave this building last night, besides Mr. Lee, correct?” Doyoung never beat around the bush, and went straight into questioning the skittish assistant.

“Y-yes, I clocked out around 10, I bid goodbye to Mr. Lee before leaving.” Sungjun stated, rubbing the back of his neck. “Nothing seemed off, and the door counter showed that there would only be one person in the building once I left, which would be Mr. Lee.”

“Is there a way for the suspect to not be registered by the counter?” Doyoung followed up, writing notes onto a small pad.

“No, the building is rather high-tech, with the door security system working on all entrances, even windows.” The questioning continued, and Jaehyun paid attention to some degree while he let his eyes roam the area. The security system was indeed high-tech, and he could spot several well-placed cameras along the walls and ceiling.

“Do you think we can get the security tapes?” Jaehyun asked, interrupting the two males. “As well as the history on the counters.”

“I can arrange that.” Sungjun piped up, a small smile making its way to his lips, and then his eyes widened before he reached into his pocket. “Ah, I almost forgot. This was on my desk when I arrived today, I think it might be from… yeah.”

He handed over what seemed to be a business card, numbers printed neatly on one side, the other blank. Doyoung nodded his head and took it, furrowing his brows at what seemed just to be random numbers, so he passed it to Jaehyun.

“You know numbers. Do numbers.” He ordered, and the younger took the card with a chuckle and pocketed it. He felt eyes lingering at him, and he looked up to see the assistant turning his head away quickly to look at Doyoung again, bottom lip between his teeth. “That should be it for now, Mr. Park. Thank you for the information, once we get the security tapes we can prove your alibi and you’ll be alright.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kim, Mr. Jung.” He bowed again before walking off to talk with some distressed co-workers seated on the other side of the lobby.

-

His fingers worked restlessly across the keyboard, three empty cans of energy drinks and some honey butter chips packets were strewn around his workplace, and the smell of whatever Doyoung was eating was distracting him. The iMac wasn’t cooperating, and his patience was wearing thin as he hit the working-for-24-hours-straight mark. He thought it would be easy as Apple software usually wasn’t that hard to work with, but then he was met by a carefully and thoroughly coded safety wall, caging in some programs and documents Jaehyun was dying to read and check out. His stomach growled, and he let out a frustrated huff.

“Here,” Doyoung was by his side, a can of sprite and a plate with two pizza slices in hand. His hair was messy from his own fingers threading through them, dark circles showing under his tired, yet sharp eyes. “You need to eat something that’s not just garbage.”

“You look like shit, but you also look like an angel.” Jaehyun commented drooling at the sight of food, taking it from the other’s hands gratefully. He probably looked just as worn as his partner, his fingers would most likely get stuck in his curls if he tried running a hand through his hair. “Pizza is garbage too, though… but it’s the king of garbage.”

Doyoung snorted.

“You look fucked up too, and I heard those whale noises your body kept making, I couldn’t focus.” He went back to his side of the double desk, continuing going through the security tapes. “Can you look at this when you’re done? I think I found something.”

Jaehyun hummed around a mouthful of cheese and pepperoni, eyes sorting the numbers on his screen, adding his own to try and slither his way through the shield. Another hour went by and he heard a thud, the source being Doyoung passed out with his head on the desk. Close to doing the same, Jaehyun went to the coffee machine to get some very much needed sleep repellent, wondering if it would increase the effect if he mixed some Monster into it. While he was calculating how much sugar he was going to add, he roamed through his pocket for his phone, and his breath left him as his fingers came in contact with something small. The card the assistant had given them.

He ran back to the computer, almost spilling the 60% sugar and 40% coffee over himself, pulling out the card from his pocket. Earlier on he had come across a blank space in the code, but he couldn’t figure out exactly what to put there, so he had worked around it. He scrolled through the disarray of numbers until he found it, and looked down on the card.

“No fucking way…” he breathed, his mind working on overdrive. This might be the missing puzzle piece; the digits seemingly fit, so he programmed them into the space in the wall. Figuring out the missing numbers everywhere else was a walk in the park from there, and it only took him a few minutes before he entered the last code. The screen went black.

He let out a cry in frustration, but a moment later, the screen flashed once more and a game of Tetris popped up, perking his attention. _‘Odd’_ , he thought flurried, starting the game with the tap of a key. The familiar nostalgic shapes triggered his fingers into moving in an almost automatic manner, the logic of the game once more fresh in his mind. He played until he beat the current high score of 15,010. The game quit on itself after that, and he was granted access to the files behind the wall.

Breathing a sigh of relief, fingers still tingling with a childish sort of excitement, he scanned through all of them, checked out the programs locked away, and swallowed thickly as he unlocked the contents. He didn’t know what he had expected when he thought about it. Traces that would lead to the murderer was farfetched, they had more success finding those at the actual crime scene. Maybe some dirt on the company, some tax evasions and stuff like that, but the information he just retrieved was a treasure. 

People started trickling into the office, so he let his eyes wander to the clock on the wall. It was 7.30 am, the sunlight prying itself through the gaps in the closed blinds, and he suddenly felt exhausted.

“You two been here all night?” Hansol asked, a stack of folders in his arms as he stopped by their station. Jaehyun hummed. He liked Hansol a lot, he was a nice boss. He had expected him to be strict as hell and have a frown or glare etched to his face at all times, a bit like the prosecutors in TV crime dramas. He was strict when he needed to, but he also cared about the wellbeing of all his agents, and liked joking around. It was refreshing.

Jaehyun’s findings probed through his rambling mind, and he sat up straight. “Remember that case with Lee Taeyong from a few years ago?”

“Mass fraud?” Hansol recollected. Jaehyun nodded. “I have a vague memory of it, wasn’t there another guy behind the ordeal?”

“That’s what we were lead to believe.” He opened up a file and motioned for Hansol to read it, and the head agent let out a gasp.

“How did we miss this?”

“I was given another database to hack into, a fake one. This program over here–” Jaehyun clicked on one of the desktop icons, “—was used to make the fake documents and database, framing the other guy. They make the files seem realistic as they match the original ones, but in the originals…” Jaehyun made a gesture.

“…Lee Taeyong was behind it all,” Hansol mumbled. Doyoung stirred, stretching his harms in front of him. Jaehyun continued filling in Hansol, Doyoung could wait.

“Exactly, and there’s more.” He pulled out another file and used a one of the other programs to decipher it, entering the password he had found in a poem on Taeyong’s computer. The document had some names listed on it, and terms of an agreement. “This is a document between heads of major corporations in Thailand, China, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, Taeyong’s company is in on it too. It’s an international economic fraud, and it would hit Western economics hard if it pulled through but, alas.”

“The men in China and Thailand are dead.” Hansol pursed his lips. “Call agent Qian and agent Manoban, they were on this case in China and Thailand, this is definitely their suspect. You can get additional information from them, as well as files we’ll have transferred over.”

“Is Interpol on this?” Doyoung croaked, finally fully awake and quickly catching on to what was going on.

“Not yet. I’ll ask Youngho about it at some point.” Their leader sighed, moving to his office, most likely to inform the higher-ups about the team’s findings. Youngho, or Johnny as he usually went by, was a Korean-American agent for Interpol, stationed in the USA. Jaehyun had lived in the states during middle school and freshman year of high school, and Johnny had been by his side the whole time; as a translator and a best friend. Fate really played its part, leading Johnny to visit their office for an international case soon after Jaehyun had been hired, the two reuniting under the most peculiar circumstances. Johnny had cackled in disbelief when he found out Jaehyun was an agent, and fell to the floor clapping like a seal when the back story of it was revealed. At least they started keeping in touch again.

Doyoung leaned over to poke Jaehyun’s cheek, and he realized he had most like zoned out after his brain finally managed to calm down.

“Wanna check this out before heading home?” The older motioned towards the security tapes, and Jaehyun nodded before venturing around his desk. “Time frames from different cameras have been edited out, like a domino effect. Enough time for someone to enter, slightly longer black outs in Taeyong’s office, then the time it takes for someone to leave.”

Jaehyun scrunched his eyebrows, Doyoung bit his lips.

“It doesn’t add up to the security system’s history, the assistant really was the last one to leave the building, unless a security guard was in on it,” he trailed off, letting out an angry sigh. “But if we take into consideration the cases in China and Thailand, there’s most likely someone like you in the picture.”

“Fuck.” Jaehyun groaned, throwing his head back in frustration. The last case he had dealt with another hacker hadn’t been fun, and ironically enough, it was linked to the suspect they were currently dealing with. A notorious group of criminals under the code name ‘XO’ had been working across both China and Korea, which lead to Jaehyun and Doyoung becoming acquainted with a witty Chinese agent by the name Qian Kun. A hacker pair under the aliases ‘Chen’ and fucking ‘Bacon’, had been giving Jaehyun a two-week long migraine. He coded multiple security walls a day to help keep the government files untouched, only for them to be broken down at twice the speed. It all ended when three members of the group in China had been assassinated, multiple members captured after the fall of their comrades. The killer was the suspect at hand, who had managed to dance around the hackers Jaehyun was tangled in a waltz with, breaking into one of the hideouts in Shanghai.

Jaehyun shook his head, already having had enough of this for one day (at 7:36 AM). “I’m going home.”

Doyoung seconded that, and the two of them started packing up their stuff, their soft and warm beds being all they could think of, fully intending to go to sleep for a few days straight. Jaehyun smiled when he found a stray chip on his desk and bit into it, then grabbed his keys (even though it probably wouldn’t be safe for him to drive in this state). The duo was about to leave when a cursing Hansol barged out of his office, dragging his hand over his face before facing the working agents.

“There’s been another murder, same suspect as our current case.” His eyes fell onto the two zombies at the corner of the room, silent pleas on their faces. Hansol wanted to be merciful, his eyes hiding the pity he felt for the sleep deprived pair, ordering in a clear voice. “Kim Doyoung, Jung Jaehyun, you are on this case full-time. Every clue found should be given to them. Form a profile, find patterns, and figure out who the fuck we’re dealing with.”

“Sleep is for the weak.” Doyoung muttered dejectedly as he pinned his badge to his chest pocket. Jaehyun pocketed his in his ratty hoodie, rolling his shoulders. He kind of smelled, but a decaying body would probably mute out the sweat his armpits had collected.

“Justice will be served.” The younger did a Sailor Moon pose, earning a pinch from his partner before the two were escorted to the next crime scene.

-

“ _That guy knows what he’s doing._ ” Kun said massaging his temple as he went through the files in front of him.

“Guy?” Jaehyun asked from next to Doyoung, the two pressed together in front of the laptop screen.

“ _Mm…”_ The Chinese agent hummed, muttering something in his mother tongue before switching back to English. “ _We made a profile, getting help from Lalisa and her team, and we concluded its most likely a male, somewhere in his mid-twenties to possibly early forties._ ”

They had called the feisty Thai female before Kun, as the suspect had started their spree over there. Before they had managed to ask her to send them the case files, she had screamed at them for not keeping their damn citizens in their country and _in fucking check_ , ranting about how some lowlife hacker kept sending pictures of kittens into documents that were up for printing. She also complained that her cool image had been ruined after she was going to hold a presentation for the heads of the agency, and instead of her PowerPoint pictures of red tailed pandas were displayed, and a frog on a unicycle with a tacky song in the background.

Jaehyun had tried his best not to break into a laugh, while Doyoung tried his best to comfort her with the fact that they had the same problem a few months back. Jaehyun actually kind of knew the hacker, he had encountered her while he was hacking a crappy MMORPG in college, and they chatted through code and giving each other tips on how to make the game more fun, before both of them were found out and kicked out of the server. She had started sending memes to the office printers, and Jaehyun had latched onto the sending server and was surprised that it was Jennie, and the two started a meme war of epic proportions (which his co-workers fell victim to). No one found out he was in on it, he just pretended that he was trying to keep her out of their database, until she disappeared with a ‘the feel when no gf’ picture set as Doyoung’s computer home screen. He was happy she was doing well bothering someone else with her antics.

“ _I’ll send over the other shit we have on him in a few-“_ He started yelling in Chinese again, looking like he was wrestling someone on his side. A new face popped up on the screen, waving cutely while Kun made a disgusted face.

“Hey, Sicheng!” Doyoung grinned, waving back at the male, who was an intern Kun had been given the honor of training. (“He’s a fucking dimwit, dear lord, but he is a fucking _amazing_ dimwit,” the Chinese Agent had drunkenly slurred at a bar in Guangzhou when they were in the country for the XO-case, watching Sicheng dance with another intern who had been introduced as Yukhei.).

“Your new hair looks great,” Jaehyun complimented, which Sicheng gave a blank stare at, before grinning back and eagerly thanking him after Kun translated what had been said. The man really had to improve his English if he was going to continue tackling international cases, since it was usually what Kun got caught up in. Even though Kun was born with his face set to ‘I do not know you but I’ve already decided that I dislike you’, Sicheng was the scary one of the two. He had years of material arts hidden in his rather skinny frame, everyone knew better than to give him the wrong look. The blond said a bunch of sentences in fast paced Chinese, which made the brunet next to him quirk a brow and nod, looking into the camera again.

“ _He said you really should pay attention to the numbers, like… count everything.”_ The agent translated, looking at the intern as he gestured for him to continue. A few more sentences came through, Doyoung and Jaehyun waiting patiently for the meaning of the ramble. “ _An example, body count in both countries have been ten, and on the crime scenes, there might be left numbers that can come in handy for further investigation._ ”

So there really was a bigger game being played here; Jaehyun had figured as much. He thought about the card they had received at the first scene, but on the second, there had been nothing. He raked his brain. Had anything been off? Had he missed something? The victim was a grocery shop owner, who had been dabbling her fingers into the black market. She had actually been a case their sister team had been working on, so they were currently cleaning up and finishing up the paperwork on it, while Jaehyun and Doyoung had been sat on standby until all the information was ready to be served to them on a silver platter.

“Thanks for the tip,” Doyoung bit his lip in thought, probably drawing the same conclusion as Jaehyun. They had overlooked something. “Was there any stray numbers at all the crime scenes?”

“ _Yeah, sometimes on notes, one time it was etched into a dead man’s skin, sometimes you have to count objects._ ” Jaehyun shuddered, he really couldn’t handle blood well. Doyoung looked at his wristwatch.

“We should go back…” Doyoung mumbled in Korean, Jaehyun nodding in agreement. “It was nice seeing you two again, we should catch up sometime soon!”

“ _BYE!”_ Sicheng yelled excitedly, earning himself a smack from Kun for bursting his eardrum.

“ _I’ll send the files, just call if you need anything.”_ Kun smiled, joining Sicheng’s waving. “ _Good luck!”_

The connection was cut, and the two got to their feet and headed back to where the second murder had taken place.

-

Jaehyun zipped up his jacket, the night air cooler than he expected when he left his apartment, but it was to be expected as they were already at the end of October. He had spent his day setting up a station dedicated to the ‘ghost killer’ in his living room, a cliché map with all the strings attached to it adorning his wall. He hadn’t eaten, being so engulfed in his work, only stopping when his stomach continued screaming at him to feed it. He had found his fridge and cabinet empty, so a trip to the convenience store a few blocks away was needed.

‘ _Why do humans need to eat?’_ Jaehyun thought begrudgingly to himself as he stared at his shoes, but then he remembered big greasy cheeseburgers and fries existed, replacing his frown with a content smile.

As the neon signs came into view, so did a payphone, and he let his eyes flicker to it for a millisecond before making his way inside the welcoming warmth of the store. Choosing what cereal to get was hard, especially when his mind kept sorting through what he and Doyoung had found in the second victim’s home around a week ago. Doyoung thought it was just some random number Jaehyun could use later if a coding problem came up, while Jaehyun recognized it as an area code for phone numbers, but decided to keep his mouth shut. After the discovery, other numbers kept popping up in the cramped living space, Jaehyun noting them all down. After doing some searches in the confides of his room, one of the many possible combinations seemed to be plausible to call. Most numbers were registered to all kinds of people, a few not in use, only one was unregistered and only activated nine days ago.

He finally decided to go with something chocolate flavored, and grabbed other necessities like chips, energy drinks, candy bars, ramen and a new toothbrush, wandering off to the register. The old lady behind the counter worked the register expertly, punching in the numbers, making Jaehyun’s fingers twitch. After she scolded him for only buying junk and giving him a few bananas for free, he walked out with a bow, the lady smiling kindly at him and telling him to stay out of trouble. He just waved at her with a cheeky grin.

Jaehyun set the bags with his items onto the ground, fishing up some change from his pockets as he stood in front of the phone booth, repeating the number he had entered into his own phone and deleted more times than he could count. It was with shaky hands he put the coins in, almost dropping one, but he managed to pull himself together and fill the machine with them all. He didn’t know how long this possible conversation would last.

The phone came to life, beeping at him to start his call, and so he did. The tone on the other line was some pop song he had heard being played on the office radio, which made him furrow his brows in confusion. Was it the wrong number, or did a cold blooded killer actually listen to mainstream pop, of all things?

“ _You finally called._ ” The voice answering was distorted, unsurprisingly, and Jaehyun swallowed. It definitely wasn’t the wrong number, and Kun was right about the suspects gender. He could hear the masculinity in the voice, a pitch too deep to be a woman’s. He shuddered uncontrollably, the mirth ringing in the other’s voice chilling him to the bone. “ _You left me hanging for a week!_ ”

“Y-yeah.” He replied dumbly, rolling his eyes at himself. “I did.”

The person on the line chuckled, and he heard some rustling, before the filtered voice entered his ears again.

“ _You’re interesting, Jung Jaehyun._ ” Well, fuck. “ _I like you, you’re not like them._ ”

“Not like who?” He had to be careful, his tongue thick in his mouth as he tried forming words. He had to focus hard on controlling the slight lisp he had when speaking English, not wanting to seem nervous, even though he was a distressed mess.

“ _The other agents, duh._ ” Jaehyun pursed his lips, deciding not to reply this time. “ _You catch on quickly; you see things like I do. You see the numbers. You’re making this more fun for me._ ”

“Hah.” He deadpanned. It wasn’t too much fun for him. “You’re welcome.”

Another laugh.

“ _I really like the smell of tulips. They’re milder, rounder, compared to roses.”_

“I prefer lavender.” He kicked a rock with his shoe absentmindedly, wondering what the man meant by his words.

“ _Good choice, but I’ll decide what we’re going for tonight, maybe you can have an input later on._ ” Some more rustling came through the speaker, louder this time, then a grunt and a thud before an eerie silence. “ _It’s late, agent Jung. Get some rest, you’ll need it for tomorrow.”_

There was the sound of a kiss, and then the line beeped, signalizing the call had ended. Jaehyun’s knees finally gave out, he slid to the ground and let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. It was a simple conversation, but it had been nerve-wracking. _He had been talking to the killer._ He looked up, taking in the light of a nearby streetlamp, how it put him in a spotlight on the empty streets. He felt naked, and like a pawn in a one-player chess game. The man hadn’t outright said it, but Jaehyun couldn’t help thinking he was playing the cards that the other had dealt for him, even though he had only been on this case for eight days.

His stomach growled again, prompting him to pick himself off the ground and go home. He sulked into his cereal when he found out the number he had called had been taken out of use.

-

It was 4 am when Doyoung woke him up (his ring tone was an air horn remix of the classic Neon Genesis Evangelion opening, as Doyoung’s calls usually were his alarm in the morning), telling him to get ready and he would be there in exactly twelve minutes to pick him up. He had fallen asleep in his clothes, so he hurriedly changed into another hoodie he found on his floor, leaving his jeans on as they didn’t have any visible stains on them. He thanked the lady from last night in his head for giving him bananas, as they worked perfectly as breakfast on the go, grabbing a can of red bull to swallow it down with. He stuffed everything he needed into the pocket on his hoodie, a honk sounding outside his apartment.

“That’s a fucking ugly color.” Doyoung remarked as Jaehyun entered the car, filling the younger with envy at how awake the he looked. Glancing down, Jaehyun realized he was wearing the mix between mustard and neon yellow colored sweater with a rhino outlined in hot pink, the phrase ‘save the chubby unicorns’ in rainbow comic sans under it, which would make him stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd.

“We’re just going to the scene, searching it, heading back. It’s not like my bad fashion choices will be broadcasted on national television.” The driver shook his head, muttering a ‘ _whatever_ ’.

He should’ve kept his mouth shut, because he jinxed himself.

As Doyoung pulled up into a rather high-end looking neighborhood, the street in front of the location of the murder was crowded with reporters, _at the_ _ass crack of dawn._

“Who died?” Jaehyun asked at verge the of tears, staring straight into his doom as he counted a total of five video cameras and nine photographers. “IS THAT KBS1!?”

“A rather important politician, and yes.” Hansol stood in full uniform in front of the house gates, seemingly holding a mini press conference of some sort. Just like Doyoung, he looked awake and alert, face serious and firm. Jaehyun shrunk in his seat once they parked. “Do I have to carry you inside, or are you gonna be a big boy and walk yourself?”

“Can I stay?” Doyoung’s glare had him scrambling for his seatbelt, leaving the car as fast as possible and almost dropping his precious red bull in the process. For having such a cute face, the older sure knew how to make it menacing, kudos to him. Some officers stood behind Hansol, covering the slightly ajar front gate. They could just sneak in unnoticed, while the reporters were busy with their team leader, simple as that. Jaehyun joined Doyoung as they approached the crowd, hiding behind the slightly shorter man, hoping no one would turn their camera towards them.

“Agent Kim!” A woman shouted, a flash momentarily blinding the duo, making them halt in their steps. Then it started raining flashes, the sound of shutters going off intensifying. “Have you figured out the identity of the dangerous killer who’s been making havoc around Asia?”

“Don’t answer them, Hansol will take care of that once we’re inside, just walk.” Doyoung whispered, mostly to himself, making quick strides towards their destination.

“Is it true that the killer is secretly working for you guys, considering all victims have been involved in serious illegal activity?” Jaehyun made a face. Wouldn’t that just be peachy, and totally not against all the morale the NIS stood for? Some more questions were shot at them, barely any of them even making sense or being relevant to the case at hand. Jaehyun knew Doyoung was mentally rolling his eyes at the nosy reporters’ stupidity, as he was doing the same.

They managed to get inside with no problem, at least the people knew the concept of personal space. Jaehyun popped open his red bull and downed half of it in one go, Doyoung eyeing him with a raised eyebrow.

“I just went through the most traumatizing event in my entire life. Caffeine comforts me.”

“Too much caffeine can give you diarrhea.”

“Experienced it firsthand.” Jaehyun smiled impishly while holding up a peace sign, Doyoung turned around with a disgusted look on his face.

“I hope you overdose on rockstar, go into cardiac arrest, and _die_.”

“Ew, I hate rockstar. It’s like… the Iggy Azalea of energy drinks.” He didn’t say it out loud, but red bull was definitely the Nicki Minaj.

“ _Even better._ ” Jaehyun flipped him off when Doyoung muttered that he would force the content of twenty cans through Jaehyun’s mouth himself.

They walked from the hallway into the living room, and for once the corpse was put in a body bag before their arrival. There wasn’t much to go from, the huge room was decorated rather minimalistic, a few frames on the walls with pictures of what he guessed was the family of the politician. Before Jaehyun could open his mouth, Doyoung was already answering the unasked questions. That was one of the perks of the older, he was quick at analyzing people and situations, and Jaehyun suspected he had photographic memory as a cherry on top.

“Victim was aged 57, the cause of death being a broken neck.” The man nodded his head to a picture with four people, matching rigid poses and stiff faces. “Divorced his wife a few months back, both of the sons are off to university abroad, so it was only him at home last night.”

Doyoung cleared his throat, continuing his speech as if he had practiced it in front of his mirror beforehand.  

“Apparently he had been misusing his power, being the leader of a secret group consisting of people close to being in elite ranks. They worked dirty to get themselves rich and famous, the politician’s spot making it easy for them to be parasites feeding on the system.” He pursed his lips in distaste, mind flying to the bills that had just arrived to his arguably small apartment. “Now, let’s look for those damn numbers.”

They started looking for notes, lifting things and moving pictures to see if anything was hidden beneath. After searching one part of the room, they turned to the other, and Jaehyun felt the air knock out of him. Slightly blocked by a huge flat screen TV, was a decorative table with a vase on top, a bouquet of fresh tulips filling it.

“There,” Jaehyun pointed, it was the only thing that stood out in the room, no flowers in any of the other exquisite vases. “Behind the TV.”

He stood still as Doyoung went over to investigate, rewinding the phone call in his head. The grunts and the noises he had heard, the talk of tulips, and the _thud_. He felt sick, he had unknowingly heard someone get murdered through a fucking phone. He should’ve called sooner, or maybe a few minutes later. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, he should _never_ have called.

“It has a card.” Doyoung informed, handing over the bouquet of ten flowers, Jaehyun noted, to the younger as he opened the folded pink paper. “ _My dearest Yoonoh…_ and more numbers, signed with xxx.”

He froze. If caffeine hadn’t put him into cardiac arrest yet, this sure would. His throat clogged up, his palms got so clammy he was sure the plastic wrapped around the tulips would slip right out of his hands and onto the floor, that he tightened his grip. How was it even possible? He felt like he was being watched, eyes piercing into his back, so he turned around but was only met with curtain covered windows, the outlines of the crowd outside barely visible. He didn’t feel safe anymore.

“Who the fuck is Yoonoh?” Doyoung wondered, his eyebrows furrowed again. Jaehyun could barely find his voice, searching for safety in Doyoung’s confused eyes, but he wasn’t sure if he could find any.

“It’s…” He gingerly took the card from his partner’s hand, reading over it, to make sure. His vocal chords knot themselves together again.

“You know who this note could be for?” Doyoung pried, so focused on the fact that this could be another lead. Jaehyun wasn’t sure what it was. The older gently took a hold of Jaehyun’s arm, a comforting gesture, noticing the other’s distress. “Talk to me, Jaehyun.”

“It’s me, Doyoung.” His voice sounded more broken than he wanted it to, but he was just so terrified. “My birth name is Jung Yoonoh.”


	2. 2

Three weeks had passed where nothing happened. Jaehyun had slept at Doyoung’s for the first five days after the last murder, too out of it to be let out of sight as Hansol had phrased it. He had calmed down when he stopped feeling like all of his moves were observed by unknown eyes, and Doyoung insisted to stay until the AM when they went back to Jaehyun’s apartment. The silence that had settled over the case was unnerving, but other cases was a great distraction to unwind the two agents.

Jaehyun played with the fan on his office desk; mumbled random movie quotes into it, as his voice came out altered and robotic. He felt better, not as skittish as he’d been for a while. Most days were spent in the office, where he would assist other teams if they needed some extra help in the tech department.

His eyes landed on the huge poster that recently had been added to the office wall, a collage of newspaper articles where Jaehyun’s ugly yellow sweater was on display, courtesy of one of the secretaries. He sighed, a smile tugging on his lips. He had to admit it was funny. His mom had texted him not to come home for Christmas, as she had never felt a stronger secondhand embarrassment than when her coworker had handed her a newspaper with Jaehyun on the front page. He knew she didn’t really mean it; he would appear in the sweater just to spite her.

Jaehyun always had the note from the previous murder with him, and looked at it often; tried to figure out the numbers. It had gotten crumbled and one of the corners slightly torn after always being in the pocket of his jeans, but as long as the digits still were readable, it was okay.

He looked at his phone, the open window being his chat with Johnny, where the older still hadn’t replied to any of his messages. To be fair, the other had said he’d be busy for a while, but even when Jaehyun was busy his phone was still used regularly. Then again, Johnny worked for _Interpol_ , his schedule must be hell since their cases usually are huge. Apparently the older was in China at the moment, doing God knows what. There was always something going on in China.

There were only a few more minutes until his perming appointment at the hair salon, so he turned off his fan and went on his way. The first time he had curled his hair, it had been after losing to Mark in Smash Bros, who had decided that getting a perm would be the punishment. At first it had been all for laughs, but when Jaehyun noticed a curly mess was better than a regular mess when he woke up in the morning, he kept it. It was easier to tend to, even if the curls got tangled all the time and he had to forcefully comb them out.

The hairdresser worked quickly, it was the one he always went to, so she had gotten the hang of it compared to the first time. He had been her first customer (that weren’t a doll with a wig) who wanted to get curls, but she was possibly a pro by now.

While he was waiting, hair rolled up and looking kind of funny, someone sat down in the chair next to him. He didn’t think much of it, until he was addressed by the other customer, a familiar, timid voice ringing through the air.

“Agent Jung?” He turned his head around, coming face to face with Lee Taeyong’s assistant, Park Sungjun. He was out of his suit, just wearing a casual sweater and some jeans, hair falling into his eyes which most likely were the reason he was at the saloon.

“Oh, Mr. Park.” Jaehyun greeted, and he bit his cheek when he realized how lame it came out. The assistant was cute, so it made him a little flustered, but mild comfort settled within him by the fact that the other also seemed fidgety. “You can just call me Jaehyun, I’m off duty right now.”

“Then, call me Sungjun.” He smiled brightly, which made him seem completely different from the nervous man in the corporate lobby. “I’m ‘off-duty’ as well.”

“You quit?” Jaehyun asked as he turned back to look at his own reflection, and suddenly remembered the ridiculous state his head was in. Nice. There goes the chance he had of seeming cool. Maybe he could ask the other out on a date after his perm was done, and he had finished the case from hell. He needed a distraction.

“Yeah, the company is sort of a mess right now. They still haven’t appointed a new head, and the vice kind of sucks.” Sungjun explained, eyes trained on Jaehyun, almost calculating. He was playing with his pierced earlobe; the metal hadn’t been visible under his long locks. Jaehyun wondered if he had more. “I’ve applied for a position in Japan, just waiting for a set interview day.”

“That’s nice, I hope you get it.” The grin he gave the other was genuine, but he was a little sad his date plan fell to pieces right after he had conjured it up.

“Thank you.” The ex-assistant smiled before he sighed and rubbed his eyes, which lead to Jaehyun noticing just how tired the man looked.

“Long night?”

“You could say that.” A smirk; playful, eyes dark. He had probably gotten laid, which had Jaehyun inwardly pout in jealousy. He knew he was handsome, under all the awkward and lame, but his love life (and sex life) had been anything but active ever since he joined the agency. “How’s the case going?”

“Meh.” Jaehyun did a ‘so-so’ motion with his hand while scrunching his face in distaste, making the other chortle.

“Are all agents like this?” Sungjun covered his mouth with his hand, trying to suppress his laughs. “Aren’t you guys supposed to be prim and proper when it comes to work?”

“In theory, not in practice.”

“Not in practice…” Jaehyun pretended he didn’t see Sungjun giving him a once over in the reflection of the mirror, even though the invitation was laid out in front of him. The gaze felt predatory, and it made the agent shift uncomfortably as it reminded him of that feeling again; the feeling of being watched by unknown eyes. Even though he was aware of who the source was, he couldn’t help but look around the shop and out the window, making sure the area was clear.

They fell into a casual conversation after a short silence, dragging on until Jaehyun was done and out of the door, the hairdresser starting to work on trimming Sungjun’s long bangs. Jaehyun still felt eyes on him.

Back at the office, he was greeted by Doyoung who had been absent all day, looking like he was on the way out. Jaehyun’s badge was pushed into his hand, Doyoung leading him towards the door with a purposeful stride. His partner was a workaholic, so getting new content on a case always had him in high spirits and preppy as hell.

“New day, new hair, new murder.” The older joked lamely, which earned him a round of applause from Jaehyun.

“Didn’t know you had it in you to be funny.”

His shoulder was sore for a few days after Doyoung’s punch.

-

They were up in five murders, two new ones in four weeks, two new personalized notes to work with.

The second note had been delivered to them after autopsy, found in the victim’s underwear (it was still in the plastic from the lab; had never, and _would never_ , be taken out of it. Jaehyun and Doyoung convinced themselves it was because of the bloodstains on it.). A little heart had been added after ‘ _For my lovely agent, Jay_ ’, the English name Jaehyun went by in America when he lived there. He scribbled the numbers on a post-it so he never had to see the writing again; the first note still freaked him the fuck out.

The man was the owner of an idol company, and had been sexually harassing a multitude of both female and male company workers, trainees, and current idols. When Doyoung had muttered something about a phallus being removed, Jaehyun had complained he flunked biology and had no idea what a phallus was, which ended with the older screaming ‘HE HAD HIS FUCKING DICK CUT OFF AT THE BASE’. Jaehyun had clutched onto his thighs for dear life and squirmed at the thought, meanwhile Doyoung just held onto his own face and chanted about trivial things like how wonderful the weather was.

When he read the third note, Jaehyun ignored the use of his penname on a forum he frequented in high school. It had been taped to the ceiling fan of a cramped office, the smell of cigars and alcohol heavy in the air. The gambler, who had been murdered by suffocation with his own tie, was not playing fair. He seconded as a loan shark; robbing people of money they didn’t even owe him, and left many with serious betting problems in even larger debts than they originally were buried in.  

Following the rule by three, third times the charm and all that jazz, a connection was made between the set of numbers.

“You know how all government personnel have an identity number?” Jaehyun asked Doyoung, who nodded as he looked at the card. “This number is for us who work for the NIS.”

“So, this is someone in the agency?” Doyoung inquired, eyebrows furrowed. “Do you think it’s someone linked to the killer, or possibly; the next victim?”

“Victim, most likely, but we should search the database and find out who it is, we have the rest of the numbers.”

Jaehyun peered over Doyoung’s shoulder as he wrote in the digits they had been given into the government database, the first blank reading ‘branch’, so they filled it with the NIS’ number.

“What should we put for area?” The older pondered, looking at the two notes they had yet to use.

“Considering how us agents have 00059, and I know secretaries have 00012, it’s probably that one.” Jaehyun pointed to the first set, ‘00087’ printed on it.

“It’s for archives.” Doyoung muttered as they were lead to the list of people working down in the basement, in between documents and heavy air. He looked at the last note and typed it into the search bar, which lead them to an employee page. “Moon Taeil.”

“Never seen him down there.” Jaehyun mused as he took in the ID picture, neat brown hair and round eyes staring back at him.

“Nor have I.” The other bit his lip, reading over the text. “He’s been working here for seven years, longer than the two of us have.”

Not many seemed to know about Moon Taeil in the agency, it was almost like he was a ghost. It was the opposite of the secretary down in the archives, a loud guy named Donghyuck who everyone knew, even if they had yet to meet him. He was heard before he was seen, anyways. At least they got more information about Taeil from him when they saw him in the cafeteria, and he excitedly went on about the hardworking male who skipped lunch to stay down and finish up sorting some files.

“I can show you guys to his workplace, if you wanna?” Donghyuck offered around a mouthful of salad. “He’s usually there most of the time.”

The pair followed the guy to the basement after they gave their thanks (Doyoung struggled to do so, disgusted by the other’s table manners), almost having to run after him as the secretary literally skipped through the halls like he was an overexcited child in an amusement park.

Upon arrival, Donghyuck lead them through a maze of shelves, knowing by heart where he was going. They came to a clearing in the mess, desks clustered together with computers on them, a few people working diligently with eyes glued to their screens.

“Where’s Taeil?” Donghyuck asked, and a woman looked up, shrugging. The secretary sighed, and gave Doyoung and Jaehyun an apologetic look. “He’s done that quite a lot the past few months, just leaving at random times…”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Doyoung reassured the other with an awkward pat to his shoulder. “We’ll just come back another time.”

“Wait!” The had agents turned around to leave, hoping they could find their way out, but stopped at Donghyuck’s outburst. “I know where he could be.”

-

Taeil’s apartment was located on an interesting street, the entrance of the building hidden in an alley between a Cantonese restaurant and some random street vendors. The avenue was busy, bustling with life in the few hours between 9-to-5 workers clocking out and the time the sky turned dark.

“At least that kid knew where he lived.” Doyoung sighed as he chewed on one of the dumplings the two had bought from a food stand, substituting a proper dinner. “It wasn’t in the database.”

“Not a single address is, it’s a safety precaution.” Jaehyun spoke after shoving an entire dumpling into his mouth, and Doyoung didn’t mask his disgust as he politely had done with Donghyuck. The younger stuffed in another dumpling, and Doyoung quickly saved himself the last one before the monster next to him swallowed that one, too.

“Ready to head in?” Doyoung asked, which earned him a hum of agreement from Jaehyun, who was struggling to swallow the food in his mouth.

The alley was quiet, a break from the busy streets, and had an odd waft of delicious food and decomposing trash tangled together. There were a few doors on both walls, one the back exit of a nightclub on the connecting street, another for the restaurant on the opposite wall. Two bolted doors were definitely out of question, and the last one was what seemed to be their destination. Some numbers were laminated and pinned to the wall next to the doorframe, and they deducted it was the apartment numbers. A guy wearing a cap and an apron held the door open for them as they entered; a delivery boy who’d just dropped something off at one of the apartments. A badge on his chest held the logo of a flower shop they’d walked past a few streets down, exposing why he smelled like soil.  

“Number sixteen.” Jaehyun though out loud as the partners scanned the doors of the second floor, which weren’t arranged numerically. It had Doyoung’s mild OCD flaring up, and he grumbled as he glared at the digits reading ‘902’ or ‘37’. Almost at the end of the hall, close to a fire exit, apartment number 16 was located. Jaehyun knocked, then they waited.

Some shuffling could be heard, akin to someone scurrying to do some last minute tidying, and then the person on the other side started working on the locks. Jaehyun counted five in total before the door opened slightly, a chain making sure no one could enter without permission.

“How can I help you?” A face, belonging to Moon Taeil, appeared in the opening. Mild surprise clouded his irises, before it was replaced by recognition. “Ah, Agent Jung, Agent Kim. The famous super duo.”

“Mr. Moon, a pleasure.” Doyoung greeted, the dust of pink on his cheeks displaying the flattery he felt. He held out his hand reluctantly. “Isn’t it awkward shaking hands through a door?”

Taeil laughed, short and sweet, matching the soft edges of his voice. He removed the chain and held the door open, welcoming the duo into a small and tidy living space. Some papers were strewn around, but other than that, the combined living room and kitchen was spotless. The interior matched the dinginess of the area though, as expected from one of the cheaper areas of Seoul. The archive worker shook hands with both of them before closing the door.

“What brings you here?” The petite man asked, fingers idly playing with the end of his sweater. His eyes flicked to the door. “Want some coffee?”

“No, thank you.” Jaehyun declined, suspicious about the other’s nervous behavior; unless he just was the type. Taeil’s eyes kept moving to the door, even when he busied himself with moving away some documents from his coffee table. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone.” Taeil replied. He straightened up, realizing all of his movements were watched by hawk-like eyes. A small, friendly smile crept onto his face, hiding the shaking of his pupils. “But really, why are you here? I don’t have any extra information besides what the archives hold.”

“You’re not safe.” Doyoung went straight to the point, not batting a single eyelash. He pulled out a document from his pocket, signed by Hansol, only needing Taeil’s signature to be valid. “We’re here to offer you protection.”

“There will always be someone with you, making sure you won’t be harmed.” Jaehyun continued, voice laced with the comfort he tried to give the other.

At that, Taeil’s smile faded, a frown replacing it. His gentle features contorted into ones of resentment, his stance immediately tuning rigid. He moved towards Jaehyun and Doyoung, motioning them to walk to the door.

“I don’t need any protection, I am in no danger, and I _do not_ need anyone with me twenty-four hours a day!” Taeil flared, hands shaking as he curled them into fists when he brushed past the agents. He went to unlatch the chain from the frame, and turned towards the two to continue his rant. The sunset that shone through the windows put him in an ethereal light, which would fit the quiet and kind man from before, not the one they were currently facing. Doyoung tried to reason with him, tried to calm a heated Taeil down, who’s voice almost broke while he kept rambling.

As they went on, Jaehyun noticed a tinge of violet in his peripheral vision, and his breath caught in his throat. He felt déjà vu hit him hard when he turned his head, taking in the sight of the bouquet of delicate lavenders wrapped in silk, laying on top of a drawer. They looked fresh, and his mind snapped to the delivery boy they met at the entrance of the building.

“Mr. Moon, did you order those?” Taeil stopped, dumbfounded by the sudden question, and shook his head. When he looked at Jaehyun, about to reply, a red dot appeared on his forehead.

Everything happened way too fast; an array of sounds rang in Jaehyun’s ears at the same time, making his mind short circuit.

He heard Doyoung scream something, the sound of glass breaking right after, and then a quiet thump, as if a coin fell onto a carpeted floor. With wide eyes, he stared at the blood that trickled down Taeil’s forehead, down the side of his nose. So quick, yet so agonizingly slow, the man fell against the door that was painted with crimson splatters; dead.

“GET DOWN!” He felt Doyoung drag his wrist so hard his arm could possibly get dislocated, pulling him to the ground. Blood was seeping onto the floor, closing in on the two like a river breaking from a dam. Jaehyun couldn’t turn away from Taeil, eyes still open but no signs of life in them, and there was so much _blood_.

Jaehyun couldn’t take it. He felt his chest heaving in rapid motions, too fast for the oxygen to move through his body properly. His ears muffled all sounds, and all he could hear was himself hyperventilating and his heart thumping hard. Doyoung shook Jaehyun, tried to make him focus on anything but the red ocean in front of them. It reached his hand, the sleeve of his sweater coated in red, the lukewarm liquid licking against his skin. Jaehyun retched.

That was the last thing he remembered before everything faded to black.

-

“He had been giving intel to a bunch of people.” Hansol informed after taking a sip of his tea, adorning casual clothes as he sat comfortably in a bean bag in Doyoung’s apartment. “Or _selling_ it, is probably a more correct term.”

“How long?” Doyoung asked as he placed a cup of cocoa in front of Jaehyun, who was seated on the floor in front of the small coffee table, staring out into space.

“Quite a few months.” Hansol looked up, thoughtful. “Close to a year.”

“Explains the increase in unidentified illegal activity, if they know every single move we would make before even making them.” The agent huffed, grabbing a hold of his own cup of beverage before sitting down on his small loveseat. “And there’s a bunch of other information too, that could be dangerous in the wrong hands…”

“So Lee Donghyuck had noticed Moon Taeil’s odd behavior?” The captain questioned, eyes flickering to his agent on the floor, still stuck in his own world.

“Yeah, he mentioned something about the victim-“ Jaehyun twitched a little, not going unnoticed by Doyoung, who gently rubbed his back in a comforting manner. “-disappearing during work hours, or staying behind while everyone else went to get lunch.”

“We have to interrogate him…” Hansol sighed, hoping the rowdy guy hadn’t been in on it, too. “How are you two holding up?”

“I’m okay, it’s not my first time witnessing something like that, but…”

“I’m okay.” Jaehyun croaked, his voice gruff after not having been used in a few hours. “I’ll be okay.”

“You can take a short leave, if you want to.” Hansol informed, concerned about the man who still seemed pretty shaken up after yesterday’s events.

“No.” Came the curt reply, and Jaehyun reached for his drink with hands that stopped shaking after a resolve was built in his mind. A new sense of determination egged him on, gratefully taking a sip of the cocoa before continuing. “We have to catch him; we have to get closer.”

“We still don’t have enough to do that, the card with the flowers only had random numbers.” Doyoung dug into his pocket and fished it out, handing it to Jaehyun. “It’s for you, again.”

It only took a moment to distinguish yet another area code, this time for a small province close to Busan. His old aunt had lived there, so it was easy to recognize what the digits were once the familiar code was identified on the bottom corner.

“It’s a phone number.” Jaehyun provided, catching the attention of the other two in the room. He realized he shouldn’t keep in his worries to himself anymore, his partner and his leader being as invested in this case as he himself was, and thought of the call he had made close to two months ago. He shouldn’t be scared for them, Doyoung and Hansol were trained agents, they put their lives on the line for a reason just like himself. Jaehyun felt like a small child who had done something wrong, but it was time to make it right. “I have something to tell you guys, that I should’ve told you a long time ago.”

-

“Is the mic turned on?” Doyoung asked for the nth time, fiddling with the wires so they were as hidden as possible, but Jaehyun just smiled instead of rolling his eyes.

“Yes, _mother dearest_.” The older reeled backwards, eyes wide as he sneered.

“Call me that one more time, and I’ll show you what it’s like being under a mother’s mercy!” At that, Jaehyun shuddered, knowing exactly what it felt like.

“No need, my mom’s given me some prime examples.”

“Then shut up and get going, my gosh!” Jaehyun saluted the other as he walked away from the car and towards a singular phone booth, alone under the street light.

 _How dramatic_ , he thought, and wasn’t sure if he meant the lightning, or the fact that he could hear Doyoung’s foot tap against the concrete impatiently and his mouth heaving sighs. His partner had always been one for overdone reactions though, and Jaehyun suspected he might’ve been into the drama club in school. He’d never asked about it, but made a mental note to do so at some point.

The coins were put into the slot without any hesitation, the ringing sound filling Jaehyun’s ears for only a second before someone picked up.

“ _You were fast this time, did you miss me?_ ” The playful, distorted tone had Jaehyun shivering, but he steeled himself and figured approaching the killer in the same manner might be effective.

“No, but I believe it’s time for some leads, babe.” He cringed at his choice of words, and he saw Doyoung wringing himself in laughter beside the car, listening in on the conversation. A squeal sounded through the phone, and Jaehyun had to hold it away from his ear to save his eardrum.

“ _Ah, I really need you to call me that more often!_ ” He regretted it immediately, but what was pride when you had lives to save. “ _But, I’m not sure if you’re deserving of anything this time around_.”

“What?” Jaehyun breathed in disbelief, reprimanding himself for getting his hopes up.

“ _I_ _don’t really appreciate that our special conversations are being eavesdropped on_.” He could see Doyoung freeze up, eyes frantically looking around while all Jaehyun could hear was a soft laugh. “ _Why don’t we put on a show to make it worth it?_ ”

“Or I can just… leave?” His hands were shaking, the streetlight above him not letting him see much besides Doyoung. The familiar feeling of someone observing him returned, he wanted to leave immediately, but his body quit on him when moans filled his ears. “Wait, shit, fuck-“

“ _Do you know how amazing your voice is? Just by uttering a single word, you already have me getting worked up_.” He could see Doyoung frantically ripping out his earpiece, dismantling the microphones before his hand landed on his gun, eyes roaming the nearby area. “ _Oh, we lost our peeping-tom, how sad. But I guess that means we can go deeper, hmm?_ ”

“Are you here?” Jaehyun almost face palmed himself, the suspect really made him act like a high schooler. “That’s sounds wrong, I didn’t mean it like I’m using an Ouija board or something.”

“ _Hah, you really are cute._ ” A short silence settled before he heard some shuffling, which sounded an awful lot like someone were roaming around on a bed. “ _I’m not, but I wish_ you _were here, I’m horny and I want you._ ”

_Deep breaths, Jaehyun, deep breaths._

“ _You would look so pretty, maybe even beautiful, underneath me._ ” The sentence was chopped, and Jaehyun didn’t even have to think to figure out what was going on at the other side of the line. “ _You’d take my cock so nicely, and just imagining the sounds you’d make; heaven._ ”

Jaehyun whimpered, actually _whimpered_ , at the thought. He didn’t even have a face or body to set to the damned image, but he was intrigued and definitely going to hell.

“ _I bet you’re good with your mouth, aren’t you? You’d be beautiful with come on your face, after you’ve sucked me off-_ “ Jaehyun slammed the phone back into place, effectively ending the call, bolting back to the car as fast as his feet would take him.

“What the fuck was that!?” Doyoung asked as he pushed Jaehyun into the car, running to the driver’s side to get them out of there. He allowed the younger to catch his breath, obviously shaken, before he repeated himself.

“I- I don’t know?” Jaehyun buried his face in his hands, groaning in embarrassment as he thought of the pitiful sound he made. “I just, he flirted with me last time, too. And the notes, and I don’t know what to do, Doyoung.”

“We should talk with the team, I don’t like to say this, but...” Doyoung gazed at his partner, who looked at him with wide eyes. It was a thought that had struck him; this hadn’t happened in the previous countries, Jaehyun was the only one of all agents that had worked on it who had openly been targeted. Doyoung felt his heart ache, not liking the idea at all, yet it might be helpful in catching the suspect. “I think we should use you as bait.”

“Not to be a pottymouth,” Jaehyun chuckled, dry and airy, disbelieving. “But fuck this fucking shit.”

If Doyoung noticed Jaehyun’s boner, he didn’t say anything, and for that Jaehyun was grateful.

-

“You’ll be under supervision at all times, he probably knows more about you than we think.” Hansol stated seriously after the duo proposed their idea, leaning his elbows onto his desk. He had maintained a stoneface while Doyoung relayed the phone conversation from the previous night to the leader, only nodding to show he was paying attention. They had spent the day planning the details, so it was more steady than a wild idea when they suggested it for consideration. Jaehyun could tell Hansol was genuinely worried. “We’re on the last victim now, one more and it’s the same count as in Thailand and China. I asked another team to take care of it for now, we have to be prepared for the climax.”

“Do you think, maybe it’s…?” Jaehyun didn’t want to gesture to himself, but it was obvious who he was referring to. Doyoung shook his head violently, pushing Jaehyun’s shoulder.

“No, there’s no way.” The older chided, and Jaehyun actually felt sorry for even suggesting it. The stress all three felt hung heavily above them, like it could press down the corners of crumpled papers, and crumple straight shoulders to anxious shaking. “Like, what are the odds? What are the odds of it even happening tonight?”

“A rush to leave, in Thailand the last five were killed in five consecutive days.” The youngest pointed out, keeping the possibilities open.

“Jaehyun,” Hansol addressed him with a hard tone, as to remind everyone of his authority, which he did when giving commands. “Go home, get rest, eat. You need to be in your best possible state to increase our chances of success with this.”

“You should.” Doyoung agreed, wrapping an arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder. “I can take the first shift, so you can just call me and-”

“Doyoung, you go home too.” Hansol ordered, leaving no room for any argument. “You were possibly seen, it will increase suspicion if your car is in the area, and if it’s you.”

“Fine.” They accepted their dismissal, bidding the leader goodbye before leaving his office and in turn the agency building. When they parted ways by the parking lot, Doyoung called Jaehyun with his phone, saying he wanted to make sure the younger stayed safe on his way home. Jaehyun found it ridiculous, even if he liked being pampered. It’s not like the killer was aware they were ‘giving’ Jaehyun to him.

They chatted mindlessly, Jaehyun hearing Doyoung park his car as he himself waited at for a green light. He realized he and Doyoung hadn’t had time to talk like this in a while, just trivial things like a story in the newspaper about some park opening, and a cute dog Doyoung saw on his way to work. It was a nice break from all the worries Jaehyun was holding, and he bet Doyoung felt the same. After five more traffic lights he finally reached his parking lot, turning of his car when he parked in the spot designated for his apartment.   

“ _Someone’s outside your complex already, keeping watch of anyone entering and leaving the building_.” Doyoung informed, Jaehyun huffing into his phone as he noticed a car he had seen a lot outside the agency parked a little further down his block.

“Now, why you would set Minho on this task is beyond me.” He could hear Doyoung chuckle at that, albeit tiredly, and Jaehyun wished the older would sleep well that night. Minho sent Jaehyun a little wave, Jaehyun not acknowledging it in case someone was watching. “He’s wearing camo. _Camo_ , Doyoung.”

“ _t was actually gonna be Hyoyeon, but she had an important case, sorry_.” A yawn sounded through the speaker as he walked up the stairs to his floor, asking Doyoung if he was cooking something based off the sounds he heard on the line. “ _Yeah, I’m waiting for my ramyun to boil._ ”

“Don’t fall asleep and burn down the kitchen.” Doyoung gasped, offended, Jaehyun laughing as he pushed in the passcode to his apartment. He heard the familiar tune of the confirmation, humming along with it as he opened the door. “I started buying bananas, I’m just going to eat one before I-”

“... _Jaehyun? You alright?_ ”

He couldn't answer. Sitting on his couch, flipping through files, was a familiar figure. The man looked up as he heard Jaehyun, smiling gently while holding a finger to his lips. Jaehyun stood still, taking in the situation, noticing the gun on the table.

“Y-yeah, I just forgot my toaster plugged in, and it smells like ashes in here.” Jaehyun was a bad liar, but hoped Doyoung was tired enough to buy it.

He was.

“ _Huh, sounds like you_.” The older teased, yawning again. The man in his living room nodded his head approvingly. “ _I don’t have time for this food deal, I’m just gonna sleep before I pass out here._ ”

“Sleep well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” At least Jaehyun hoped he would.

“ _Night, Jae._ ” Doyoung ended the call, but Jaehyun still held his phone up to his ear, letting the door go from his hold so it could shut behind him. He was observed from head to toe as he stood, frozen, waiting for something. Words, actions, _anything_. The man stood up, dressed in a simple sweater. He looked cozy, hair cut above his ears, displaying an array of piercings.

“You have a whole wall dedicated to me.” He spoke, eyeing the map with the strings and pictures from crime scenes, coy. “It’s cute.”

“S-Sungjun?” Jaehyun found his voice, a little too high pitched for his liking, but he was downright frightened.

“Ah-ah, try again.” Sungjun, but not Sungjun, waggled his finger in the air. His face was slimmer, more angled. Chubby cheeks were missing, what had made the assistant’s face round now replaced by nice cheekbones. He pointed to Jaehyun’s phone, and then to the kitchen counter. “Get rid of that, I don’t want any disturbances.”

As if compelled, Jaehyun put his phone down, pushing it so it slid further away from him and onto the counter. The other had a gun, Jaehyun didn’t. He had to play safe for the sake of his own life. He could feel cold sweat forming on his forehead, palms getting clammier by each passing second.

“What’s my signature?” He asked, walking a step closer to Jaehyun, Jaehyun walking one backwards, feeling the door against his shoulder blades. “You’re good with numbers, you’ll figure it out.”’

Jaehyun wrecked his brain. The case was literally filled with numbers, codes and phones, files and intel. Was there any number appearing more than others? Had he read more sevens, or threes, or twelves? How many notes, how many _bodies_? Nine was the current body count in Korea, the two others had ten. His signature.

“Ten.” Jaehyun breathed, not quite a question yet it wasn’t a statement either. It was merely a thought said out loud, but it got a positive reaction. A grin and an applause, and more steps closer.

“Yes, I’m Ten.” He was close now, way too close, leaning into Jaehyun’s personal space. “A man with more than one name, and so are you, Jung Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun didn’t reply, simply stared, trying to process all that was going on. Ten stared right back, unbudging and face unreadable. Jaehyun swallowed thickly, intimidated by the shorter man in front of him who had killed 29 people and counting.

“I really can’t help myself.” Ten broke the silence, pushing forward, pressing his lips against Jaehyun’s. Jaehyun gasped, taken aback and body in shock. He tried to break free, but gentle hands held his face still, Ten using his own body and the door to cage the agent in. It was a useless battle from Jaehyun’s side, already weakened from the power the other held over him, defenses falling one by one. He let out a whimper.

Ten took that as a cue to go deeper, parting his lips, coaxing Jaehyun to do the same with the tip of his tongue. It felt amazing, Jaehyun deprived of sensual touches now giving in to the ones provided. The continued to kiss, Ten leading Jaehyun by biting his lower lip and dragging it, Jaehyun following the other by letting out breathy moans. Jaehyun’s hands hung helplessly by his sides, not sure what to do with them. Ten’s were roaming over Jaehyun’s torso, ultimately grabbing onto his shirt, pulling their bodies closer.

“T-Ten,” Jaehyun panted, their crotches touching in ways that made his head spin, Ten staring at him with eyes so dark the cold sweat Jaehyun had gathered from nerves turned warm.

“Yes, just like that, baby.” Ten praised, taking Jaehyun’s hands and placing them on his shoulders, leaning his head forward to start planting kisses along Jaehyun’s jaw. “Moan my name for me, you want this too.”

And Jaehyun did, more than he should, if his erection was anything to go by. Ten was beautiful, undeniably _hot_ , and Jaehyun wanted to touch, but the rational part of his brain yelled in protest. His fingers clung to Ten’s sweater as Ten continued to pepper small pecks along his neck, nipping at the skin as he went. Their crotches were still touching, and Jaehyun wanted more, but too scared to make a single move. He stood still, and Ten grew impatient, latching onto his collarbone and rolling his hips at the same time.

“Fuck!” Jaehyun called out, all sense leaving him as he reciprocated on instinct. Ten captured his lips again, their hips moving off-beat together, messy and desperate, but creating wonderful friction. Jaehyun was embarrassingly close, one of his hands tangling into Ten’s hair as their tongues met. More than a kiss, it was them sharing breaths with connected lips, and sharing pleasure. Ten nudged forward, pressing Jaehyun against the door to roll his hips harsher against the other’s, the both of them harmonizing their moans.

A few more ruts, lasting for what felt like hours, Jaehyun came first with a drawn out whine, leaning his head against Ten’s shoulder. Ten continued to roll his hips, chasing his own release, which he reached not long after. Jaehyun followed as Ten walked backwards, leading Jaehyun to the couch and sitting him down.

“Now, that was great.” Ten grinned, ruffling Jaehyun’s curls before he grabbed his gun. Jaehyun eyed it, accepting his fate in the twisted mind that came with post-orgasm bliss.

“So I’m tenth?” Jaehyun laughed bitterly, biting on the skin next to the nail of his thumb. “I should’ve figured that out before calling.”

“Oh no, agent Jung.” Ten smirked, twirling the gun around before pocketing it. For just having come short minutes ago, he seemed so relaxed and in control. Jaehyun was shivering. “I don’t want to kill you, and you can't find me unless I want you to.”

Ten pulled on his jacket, eyes still on Jaehyun to catch all his moves. Jaehyun felt dirty, but his heart kept beating wildly in perverse excitement, his brain saving all the lines of Ten’s body and storing them in his memory. He moved gracefully, as if getting dressed was a form of art, and Ten’s exhibition cost a fortune. It was enhancing, like a dance, and Jaehyun tried to shut off the part of him that wanted to join in.

“I just wanted to leave you a personal goodbye.” Ten purred, kissing the top of Jaehyun’s head. His eyes said stay still, so Jaehyun sat still, even if the stickiness in his underwear was starting to get uncomfortable. Ten pulled away, gaze roaming over Jaehyun one last time before he walked towards the door. “Sleep, you’ll deal with the last victim tomorrow morning, my sweet Jaehyun.”

The apartment was empty again, and so were Jaehyun’s thoughts. He didn’t know what to do; if he should call and tell anyone, if he should run and get Minho, or run after Ten. In the end he decided to shower, body so worn out and tired after the pressure he had been put through both mentally and physically, just craving to fall into a dreamless sleep until Doyoung would wake him.

Doyoung woke him four hours later, telling him to get ready. Victim number ten had been found.

-

He tapped his foot impatiently, his phone held to his ear as it kept ringing. Why couldn’t he just pick up? He had been promised to be kept updated, but he had heard nothing. Nothing for _months_. After that night, Ten had fled Korea, he left Jaehyun unable to show any evidence or find anything to find the true identity of the killer. The name wasn’t enough to get a proper google search, nor did it do much good in the government database. On the side of other cases, Jaehyun has kept eye on the case, waiting for anything to happen. He was close, and wasn't able to let go. His brain would whisper _hero complex_ , Jaehyun shaking it away with a _simple curiosity_. Four months had passed already since the killings started in Japan, he needed to be filled in.

“ _Hey, Jaehyun!_ ” The cheerful voice of Nakamoto Yuta filled the speaker, a Japanese agent, who was currently working on the transferred case. “ _How are you?_ ”

“I’m good, you?” He wanted to get straight to the point, but hid the bitterness in his voice over the fact that Yuta would just ask him how he’s holding up every single time he had called the other, and not to give him the things he wanted.

“ _Great, just a little tired, but aren’t we all?_ ” Yuta’s accent when he pronounced l-sounds would always bring a little smile to whoever heard it, and even if he tried to suppress it, Jaehyun let out a little laugh. “ _Why did you call?_ ”

Jaehyun went silent for a moment. He gauged what to say, what would be the _right_ thing to say, to get what he wanted.

“I think you know why.” A chuckle rang through the phone, and Yuta gave an affectionate sigh.

“ _Files, yeah?_ ”

“Files.”

“ _We’ve gotten quite a lot of them now, so I guess it’s ok. Doyoung told me you didn’t have any big cases at the moment, anyways._ ” The agent shuffled around, it could be heard that he was tapping away on his keyboard.

“Doyoung what-“ Jaehyun bit his tongue, letting the negativity raging inside him die down. Of course his partner would make sure Jaehyun would be focused on their cases, rather than burying himself in a discontinued one. He knew it was out of goodwill, so he couldn’t bring himself to be angry at the other. “Thank you, Yuta.”

“ _No problem."_ It sounded like he was about to say something else, so Jaehyun waited. “ _You sound wound up?_ ”

“I’m fine.” Jaehyun huffed, throwing his head against the back of his couch.

“ _I_ _t’s not your case anymore, Jaehyun._ ” Yuta reminded him, voice laced with concern. “ _I know you have other cases, just as important, and we’ve got this covered over here-_ “

Jaehyun hung up and turned off his phone the moment his printer came to life, the files Yuta faxed over already arriving to the machine. It whirred, the sound of paper sneaking its way out filling the silence left by the ended call. He looked through the papers, filing them in different stacks from least important to most. His eyes landed on a profile; the picture of an all too familiar face greeting him with a blank stare.

“I know.” Jaehyun finally replied with a tinge of guilt, even though he wouldn’t be heard. He hurriedly logged into the Japanese base, deleting the file of office worker ‘Fujiwara Sousuke’. All traces of him gone, and out of the system.

He scanned the picture into his laptop, opening Photoshop where he had collected ID pictures of Ten’s other personas and put them side by side. Jaehyun’s memory of the man was still vivid, and he managed to remove the prosthetics the other used to mislead identification scanners and edit a photo into one that resembled his true face the most.

The agent was beyond tired, running on minimum of sleep, but he couldn’t be damned to even make himself a cup of coffee, and he was out of energy drinks. He logged into the international database to scan his creation, seeing if he could find anything on the other that could be of help. The first thing that popped up was a Thai news article, and using his internet browser’s translation feature he managed to get the gist of the content.

**_Car found in ocean, male (25) passed away._ **

There had been quite a few weeks of searching for the body, but there hadn’t been one to find. Apparently the police believed it had been eaten by sharks, or was just simply lying hidden on the ocean floor. Divers hadn’t found anything, but the ocean was vast, so it was plausible.

How this connected with his suspect, he didn’t know, but as he scrolled further down a memoir was posted on funeral agency. He clicked it and sighed in relief when there were already English translations, but it got caught in his throat as he saw the picture of the deceased. It was apparently the guy who had died in the previous article, and it was none other than Ten. He was smiling so bright, eyes soft and filled with unadulterated joy, and it was definitely him.

There was a name, long and quite a mouthful, which he copied and pasted into the search bar. Besides the memoir and various articles about the accident, there were nothing. Jaehyun knew that if he entered his own name, there would be nothing on him, just various things about others who shared the same name as him. He knew it was only a slight chance of it working, but he entered the name in the NIS search engine, where he hit gold.

Jaehyun just stared.

He felt like he couldn’t read any of the words on the screen, but all the information still settled in his brain. There was a lot on solved cases, some prizes for showing excellence in his field, academic records, and a memoir. Jaehyun printed everything out so he could read it later, trying hard to keep his breathing even because he found the missing piece. The closure was in his reach, he just needed to get to the suspect. Find him and catch him, use this against him. The profile was made now, _he_ had figured it out.

**_Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul_ **

**_Former Agent for NIS Thailand_ **

-

The only mail Jaehyun ever got, was usually bills, and sometimes he got a letter from his father because he was going through some late mid-life crisis where he believed technology had swallowed the world whole and he needed to break free from it. Which is why, when he opened his postbox at the local supermarket, he was surprised and confused that a postcard was lying on top of his monthly electricity bill. No one knew his box number besides his parents and the billing companies, and he was certain his parents were still in going about their lives as normal at home.

The postcard was from Kyoto, Japan, but Jaehyun didn’t get to read it as the guy who owned the box above his coughed violently from behind him, obviously wanting Jaehyun to get out of the way. He gave an apologetic bow before moving to the side, putting his mail in his grocery bags, forgotten until he reached his apartment.

The electricity company had issued him more than what he definitely had used, so after spending an hour on the phone, chatting with five different representatives he finally got some of it cut off. The ordeal made Jaehyun hungry, so he ate dinner and ended up watching three episodes of the drama he had recorded.

It was when the main lead got a letter from an unknown sender that Jaehyun remembered he had gotten a card from just that; an unknown sender, so he paused the episode and searched for said card. The agent studied the graphic for a short while, admiring the beautiful Japanese scenery on the front before flipping it, the backside practically empty.

Except for a number.

Jaehyun knew right then who the sender was, and he couldn’t even be bothered to gather some change and go to a phone booth. He was desperate for anything, and willed away the thought in his head that whispered something about wanting to hear a certain someone’s voice. He tapped the digits onto his phone, one ring sounding before it turned into a song.

It was a familiar beat, _Empire State of Mind_ , accompanied by light piano and rap lyrics by Jay-Z. Jaehyun waited for Ten to pick up, his head nodding along to the song. The first verse passed, going into the chorus by a female singer he couldn’t remember the name of, and Jaehyun grew impatient. The call ended after the last sentence of the refrain, and Jaehyun called again. The same song played, and no one picked up.

He checked the number, two more times, re-entering into his phone. At the seventh ring Jaehyun let the song play again, and he felt stupid. He felt stupid, because the answer was right there, sang into his ear, the refrain ending with where he needed to go. He hung up again, opening his contacts and scrolling until he found what he was looking for.

“Hey, John.” The agent cheerfully greeted into the phone, before getting some grumbles in reply. “Yes, I’m aware it’s late and you’re on vacation, but I have a favor to ask.”

Some more light conversation was needed before Johnny’s groans became coherent, assuring Jaehyun he was awake enough to pay attention to what was being said. Jaehyun took a breath, hoping his friend wouldn’t reject him and tell him he should just stay in Seoul and wait for someone else to figure it out. That’s what everyone else seemed to do.

“So, this favor, it’s not exactly _small_.” Jaehyun sheepishly confessed, hearing Johnny chuckle in return.

“ _What exactly is this not so small favor?_ ” Johnny asked, voice rough from sleep. Jaehyun took a breath, wondering if he should explain or just go straight to the point. Johnny was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, so he guessed just going with it would be the best approach. He hummed, creating a sentence in his head and translating it, apparently taking a little too long for Johnny’s liking. “ _I’ll go back to sleep if you just called to prank me_.”

“I need you to pull some strings, I have to go to the base in New York.”

-

New York City was always alive, the city that never slept, and Jaehyun felt he fit in. He hadn’t been able to sleep much as he worked with Interpol and Johnny on the transferred case of Ten. The team had been grateful for Jaehyun’s dedication to the case; he shared what he knew, details on the happenings in Korea and Japan. Johnny ended up being his partner, or baby-sitter, as Johnny liked to call it, and Jaehyun wondered if he might be able to get up on an international level one day himself.

Jaehyun had presented Johnny the edited picture of Ten, what looked the most like him out of his aliases, and Johnny had just studied it in thought and suggested they shouldn’t share it just yet. Apparently there was an accountant under the name Andrew Lau who looked quite similar to the photo Jaehyun had shown him, who Johnny were to interrogate the day after. They planned it all out, Jaehyun would wait outside for a little while, before he could enter and confirm whether Andrew Lau was Ten or not. Jaehyun would cuff him, the security already having screened the witness so he wouldn’t be armed. Johnny would bring his gun just in case. The plan was to be executed secretly, so Mr. Lau wouldn’t feel the tension from others if too many knew about the suspicions against him.

Jaehyun was leaning outside the door to Johnny’s office where the interrogation was going on, waiting for the older’s cue for him to enter. He was shaking, not sure if it was adrenaline or nerves, possibly a mixture of both. He hadn’t been able to see if it really was Ten when the other entered, hiding out of sight. He might be recognized due to the intel the suspect apparently had on him, and Jaehyun told Johnny just that.

His phone vibrated right after he managed to find a steady breathing pattern, the notification from Johnny telling him it was time to go. Jaehyun readied the handcuffs, steadying himself, opening the door carefully. There was no doubt it was Ten, and Jaehyun almost ran over and pulled him into his arms, but shut off that part of him instantly. Instead, he walked over with purposeful strides, grabbing onto arms before the suspect could turn around. Jaehyun did it by book, just the way how he learned. Quickly with strong movements, securely cuffing the wrists together as a surprised yelp left the one caught.

“Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, you’re under arrest for mass homicide.” Jaehyun calmly stated, voice steadier than he’d ever hope it could be, as he held the cuffed wrist tightly in his hands. The English words were heavy in his mouth, foreign, he’d never imagine himself in a situation like this.

He was met with silence.

All he could hear was his own heart pounding loudly in his ears, the adrenaline of finally catching the suspect ran through his veins. Ten looked up then, staring ahead towards where Johnny was standing. The American’s long fingers were resting on his gun, ready to take it out and use it if necessary. Johnny reminded Jaehyun of Doyoung out in the field in many ways, eyes always calculating, face set in stone.

“Bravo, Agent Jung! You really did your homework; you’ve impressed me yet again.” Ten spoke up, something akin to a _proud_ chuckle rumbling through his body. “But, I think you missed an assignment. I’ve learned math was never your favorite subject, so it’s understandable you didn’t put two and two together.”

“What do you mean?” Jaehyun croaked, confidence wavering. His thoughts were already jumbled, trying to suppress memories from a night in his apartment back in Seoul. Adding more food for thought would make him shut down.

“It states clearly in the rules that no agent should be without a partner, especially not out in the field. We had the same rules as you guys, back in Thailand.” He turned his head, eyes holding the same gleam they always did when he was Ten; mirth and playfulness. There was no trace of his alias. “It was the one rule I always took to heart; I’ve never worked alone.”

The cock of a gun sounded; Johnny had moved. He stood not far from Jaehyun’s right, gun pointed directly at Ten’s head. Jaehyun held his breath. He didn’t want to relive the Moon Taeil episode, it still tormented him like a plague. Then, the gun changed its target.

“I’m sorry, Jay.” Jaehyun stared, Johnny’s revolver staring right back at him. Things clicked, then. The uncharacteristic silence that had been between him and Johnny the past year, the impromptu vacation in Japan at the same time Ten was there, _volunteering_ to take on the case with Jaehyun once it moved to America. He hadn’t seem shocked, not even surprised, once Jaehyun revealed the identity of the suspect. More thoughts whirred hurriedly through his jumbled mind; like the fact that Johnny had been in the army and had the position of a sniper, and then the face of Moon Taeil popped up again. A clean hit. “I really didn’t want it to come to this.”

The last time he’d had a gun pointed to his head, he had been ready, he’d like to believe. He had done something illegal and breached national security, but he had also been so tired he hadn’t been able to really register the situation. This time, it was all so clear, and all too real.

He let go of Ten’s wrists, ignored the fact that he was shaking like a leaf while the other two seemed so calm, so sure of themselves. Jaehyun was the one who had failed, and all three of them knew it. The sleepless nights, the constant research; he thought he could end this. His intelligence had gone to his head, he thought bitter sweetly to himself. He had deemed himself immortal, way too soon.

Jaehyun closed his eyes, and took his last breath.

-

The lights from the city were bright, reflection dancing on the river surface in the late hours of the evening. Ten looked out over the view, seated on a chair outside on the balcony of the hotel room, feet resting on the iron railing. A cigarette was brought up to his lips, lit with the lighter in a pair of delicate hands; who would’ve thought they had played a part in taking a multitude of lives? The smoke that left his mouth was filled with chemicals, toxins that shouldn’t be romanticized, but they were. He looked so beautiful.

“Devastated parents.” The words hung in the air. Ten’s focus was still on the city as he talked, reciting the text he had gotten from Johnny earlier. It was the day of Jung Jaehyun’s funeral, which Johnny had attended. He was a close friend of the deceased man, after all. “Agent Kim cried, even Captain Ji cried.”

He flicked away some ash from the tip before taking another drag, the fumes lighting up by the intake of air. Ten tipped his head back, the cool air bringing a flush to his cheeks and tip of his nose. It wasn’t spring yet, it was about a month away before the temperatures would get warmer, and sitting outside in just a t-shirt after midnight arguably wasn’t the best of ideas. A sigh escaped shivering lips, from both the cold and deep emotions. Ten looked over.

“I promised my parents I’d stay over during Easter.” Jaehyun smiled, laugh hollow. His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he took in the sight of the London Eye at night, vivid colors seeming unreal. Jaehyun was supposed to be dead, but he was just as alive as the neon lights. Just as alive as the ex-agent seated next to him. Just as alive as the bustling city.

Ten hummed.

“I promised my family I’d celebrate Christmas with them, back then.” He leaned forward and pressed the tip of the cigarette against the railing, effectively killing the fire. “I still miss them; I don’t think I’ll ever stop missing them.”

“I think I fucked up.” The confession was heartfelt, even if the heavy feeling in his chest was the trigger of it. Their eyes met, and the warmth and understanding in Ten’s eyes was surprising, to say at least.

“We all do, we’re humans. Humans fuck up all the time; humanity is doomed if you ask me.”

“Is that why you…” Jaehyun stopped, hands waving in messily in the air, looking for the right words. “Is that why you do this?”

“I guess.” Short and simple, but a little unsure. He looked away. “Jaehyun?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t expect you to be okay with any of this, and I know the biggest reason why you agreed was to save your own life. You don’t have to be a part of what we do.” The words left Ten’s lips fast, similar to the way the smoke had, his mouth curled up into a comforting smile. “This probably sounds dumb and really selfish, but you really remind me of myself. Your presence has become my anchor, sort of.”

Jaehyun felt like a child during the first day of kindergarten, lonely and lost, clinging onto air that should’ve been a warm hand. Ten was right, he had agreed to stage his own death to _escape_ death, but there was also that thrill that thrummed through him when those dark brown irises would stare into his own. The excitement of a new toy, a new game, filled him when Ten tilted his chin up with delicate hands. He didn’t feel threatened in the hold of a murderer.

“You don’t have to kill anyone; you don’t have to _help_ me take lives. Just be here, and hold me, it’s all I ask.”

When their lips met, Jaehyun wanted every single thought in his mind to just go away, to stop plaguing him and let him live in the moment. They did for a while, he drowned himself in the intimacy Ten provided, and let go.

It didn’t take long for the cold to be replaced by sweat and shared heat, it’s just how they worked. _A stress-relief_ , Jaehyun thought as Ten let out another moan, _that’s what I am_. Usually the other was tense, but his body was so pliant in Jaehyun’s hands, ready to give anything the other asked for.

It was nice, the other was welcoming to Jaehyun’s ministrations. They moved together, almost in sync. Behind closed eyelids, Jaehyun saw numbers, they always ran through his mind. One-zero, _ten_ , the most prominent combination that had plagued him for months, was lulled to sleep and disappeared in the ocean of odds and evens, integers, medians and imaginaries.

Ten’s flimsy t-shirt was long gone, along with Jaehyun’s own as they made use of the bed in the hotel room. The younger was quick to attack the other’s neck, marking it eagerly as to prove that no matter how much power Ten had over him, Jaehyun could be in charge, too. A dangerous thought made its presence known as Jaehyun bit lightly on the chest in front of him, right atop of a beating heart; that he could end the life that had taken many more while it was distracted like this. He was too much of a coward to do that, he reminded himself, and forgot about it as soon as Ten’s hand made its way into his curls.

“Please…” The man muttered, and Jaehyun was suddenly aware his own hand had been rubbing the other through his underwear while mapping his body, leaving Ten with a shaky breath. “Don’t tease me.”

“It’s called revenge.” Jaehyun smiled, bittersweet, as he leaned away to remove the remaining clothing from the both of them. If there was one thing he really liked about Ten’s body, it was his thighs. Tan skin covered well-built muscle, and the sensation of them against his own waist, hands, or lips, were beyond amazing. He needed to feel it.

Chaste pecks, wet and sloppy, were left on the inner thighs as he made his way upwards, hands gripping the flesh roughly; the way he knew the other liked it, and the way he himself liked to be handled. The hand that had found its way back into Jaehyun’s hair tightened its grip when his lips kissed the tip of Ten’s half-hard cock, prompting it to get completely erect by licking and sucking, taking more and more of it into his mouth. It was of decent size, but not so long that Jaehyun had troubles deep-throating it, burying his nose in dark hair as he swallowed thickly.

Ten was a mess, the word ‘shit’ leaving his mouth in multiple languages as he pulled Jaehyun off him, who just smirked deviously.

“Not yet.” He chided, motioning for the younger to get between his legs, aligning their cock’s to give a delicious friction against each other with every move. “Get lube.”

As Jaehyun stretched his arm out towards the nightstand to do as he was told, the other rolled his hips, eliciting two sets of moans in the process. Ten wrapped a hand around both of them, being controlled as to not just quickly make himself come, but daring enough to make focusing hard for Jaehyun. He continued as he heard the man fumble around with the bottle, swearing when he dropped it after a throughout stroke over his dick, making Ten laugh airily.

“Hurry up, big boy.” Jaehyun leaned back with furrowed brows at the nickname, a childish pout on his lips as he sat back onto his knees, waiting for Ten’s next move. It was chess, not one-player like Jaehyun had thought previously, himself now attacking with his queen and pawns.

“Show me an example of being a big boy, then.” Jaehyun smirked, holding the lube out of Ten’s reach. It was the perk of being the taller of the two, but Ten had tricks up his sleeves that would have Jaehyun bending at all his whims. Jaehyun countered as Ten reached for him, pinning Ten to the bed like he had before. “Let me fuck you.”

Ten noticed the power change, and he knew Jaehyun noticed too. Jaehyun took everything that was offered, directly and indirectly, but Ten couldn’t give himself up like that. He couldn’t let Jaehyun get that power, to have that and hold it against Ten and control him with. He knew Jaehyun was capable of pleasing him, but it was deeper than who fucked who, Ten needed the mental step ahead.

“No, I’m fucking you tonight.” Ten pulled Jaehyun down for a bruising kiss, relaying the silent order, Jaehyun listening and flipping them around. Ten pulled away to lube up his fingers, warming it slowly, watching in amusement as Jaehyun tried to hide his impatience. The first finger went in without a hitch, the two had sex earlier in the shower, Jaehyun whimpering because he still felt a little raw from it. The second finger joined the first not long after, Jaehyun shifting at the feeling, trying to relax his body. Ten was relentless, not letting the other catch his breath, the third pushed in along with the others. When Jaehyun stopped groaning in pain but rather pleasure, Ten deemed it enough, himself just wanting to fuck into the other.

“Let me ride you.” Jaehyun ordered more than asked, making the other look up with mild surprise before he gave a nod. Ten sat back against the headboard, Jaehyun climbing onto his lap. Both too ready to just get on with it removed the idea of more teasing, so Ten immediately helped guide his cock inside Jaehyun.

At first, Jaehyun set the pace, fucked at his own accord while Ten leaned up for open mouthed kisses. It felt amazing, Ten’s hands grabbing onto the younger, praising him as he continued to move. Jaehyun didn’t know how; he thought he was doing well staying in the game and keeping the other in check, but failed.

Ten shifted, one of his arms finding leverage and the other grabbing onto his lover’s hip, thrusting upward sharply. Jaehyun stuttered, falling forward and onto Ten, letting himself be fucked into. The heat in the room melted all of his rationality away, and he wasn’t sure if the smirk he felt against his neck was just his imagination or really there. Jaehyun lost the game, Ten’s king standing while Jaehyun’s fell into the pleasure. Ten was struggling though, close on the edge, trying his best to dodge the last warrior Jaehyun still had on the board.

“Touch yourself for me,” A breathy command broke the verbal silence, Jaehyun moaning even louder as his own fingers wrapped around himself. There was no chance in hell he would last long if he tried to keep the same rhythm as Ten, but the other obviously meant for him to come soon anyways.

Ten halted his movements momentarily, wrapping his arm around Jaehyun’s waist to prompt him to help shift their position without slipping out. With Ten kneeling on the bed, Jaehyun’s hips were angled in such a manner that exposed all of him, his legs on either side of the other’s body. Ten didn’t want to come yet; no matter how good the other made him feel, he needed to show that their roles wouldn’t switch. Not like this.

“Let yourself go,” Ten commanded through gritted teeth as he tried to withhold his groans of pleasure, making sure to roll his hips in a way that had Jaehyun crying out loud.

“No.” Was the reply, and Jaehyun felt his breath hitch when Ten chuckled darkly at the defiance.

“Suit yourself, my dearest Yoonoh.” Three kisses were placed on his chest, xxx, a prolonged note written as a sequel to the first note Jaehyun had gotten. He knew Jaehyun was close; the pace of the jerks to his cock uneven, Ten could hold himself until the other came.

It was so bitter and yet so fucking sweet, like a creamed, cold latte in the morning. It was what Jaehyun was to him, Ten realized, and it made his blood run cold even in the scorching heat. He could just whine, whine and beg for more, clenching around Ten’s cock and the older almost came at a breathy ‘ _please_ ’. Ten angled his hips, pushing deeper, making sure to press as much against the other’s walls. Jaehyun teared up at the pleasure, one of Ten’s hand joining his to stroke his dick.

The pressure on his prostate was too much; Ten’s cock brushing directly against it inside him, and Jaehyun came with a helpless cry. He was grateful Ten reached his own release shortly after, Jaehyun way too sensitive to handle more pleasure than he already felt.

They wordlessly cleaned up and got ready for bed, tangled together in the soiled sheets. Ten drifted away first, soft snores filling the silent room with sound, muting out Jaehyun’s pumping heart.

He stared at the sleeping face of the Thai male, skin glowing in its post-coital state. His expression was so calm and peaceful, anything but what Jaehyun felt. The thrill was still active, still making him take the next step forward, still making him stay in the arms of the source.

He wasn’t sure if the adrenaline would remain or if it would fade away, and leave him with only regret among the various emotions that were stirred together within him. His own ethics was a big voice in his head; he valued human life, even if humanity was fucked. He closed his eyes, hoping he would adapt at some point. He was after all dead to others; except the man in his embrace.

-

Northern Russia was cold, even during august, and Jaehyun couldn’t wait until they reached Moscow. Johnny had rented a dingy car by the Norwegian border, and the heating system didn’t work, which made driving at 3 am insufferable.

“You’ve always lacked common sense.” Jaehyun commented as he wrapped his arms around Ten, who was hacking his teeth in his sleep. The resting male was used to warmth all year round, Thailand providing sticky humidity and sun even during Christmas. The backseat was cramped, but they made do, even if their legs didn’t fit when lying across the two and a half seats. “You couldn’t at least _check_ if the thing worked?”

“It’s to not raise suspicion.” The older grinned, probably because he had a working seat warmer. Fuck him. Another sports car zoomed past them, the fourth in two hours. Jaehyun raised an eyebrow at Johnny through the rearview mirror, who only whistled and pretended he didn’t notice it. “And it’s not like I’m a linguistic major, I literally only know _gde nakhoditsya tualet_ in Russian.”

“That explains the port-a-potty in the trunk.” Jaehyun snorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “ _Spasibo_.”

“Hey, it might actually come in handy! I haven’t seen any rest stops in forever-“ Johnny’s sentence was cut short when his phone rang, a flip phone they bought at a gas station, and his tongue started rolling out Chinese sentences.

The only words Jaehyun really could pick out was thanks, good, and then Johnny’s sultry voice defiantly made it sound like he said ‘ _I’ll fuck you so hard you’ll see stars’_ , and Jaehyun closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

It didn’t come easy; he was mentally preparing himself to see the Chinese agent Dong Sicheng in the flesh again. It was a face from the past, and thinking about the past made him mellow. Learning that there weren’t just Ten and Johnny trying to be heroes with dirty capes hadn’t been that much of a surprise, but finding out who had been helping with the killings, had been a shocker. He rather wanted to punch Sicheng in the face, but the other was so cute he’d end up not doing it. Sicheng was scary, anyways. He had at least punched Johnny once, so Jaehyun let a content smile settle on his lips.

He was close to drifting when Johnny let out a string of curses in seven different languages (he obviously knew more Russian than just asking where the nearest toilet was), the flip phone from hell dying in the middle of the phone sex. He couldn’t call up Sicheng again until they reached a motel or restaurant with plug-ins, as their regular phones were disposed in three different countries. Johnny’s was shipped to a ‘friend’ in Mexico, they left Ten’s in a club in Malta, and since Jaehyun had recently become addicted to a phone game, he begged to keep his until they had to leave it in a desolate cabin in Norway before crossing the border.

The sun was still up at the northern side of the arctic circle, paler than it was during midday, letting Jaehyun look at it without getting spotted vision. He fumbled for his backpack and dug out his camera, snapping quite a few shots of the midnight sun before he was pleased with the outcome. He scrolled through the pictures he had on the device from their current trip, most of them from Sweden and a few from Finland and Norway. There was a group photo of the three of them at the point where the three countries’ borders met, which they asked a local to take.

He stared at himself; blonde straight hair reflecting the sunlight, opposite from his previous dark curls.

To the local, they were just some foreign men on vacation, adventuring together. Jaehyun bit his lip as his own mind wished it was the reality, and he let out a sigh. He contemplated deleting the pictures he had taken of and with the two others in the car, his sudden emotional turmoil eating him from the inside out. Jaehyun put his camera away and hoped they’d reach Moscow as soon as possible, where he could spend the days wandering the streets alone, pretending he really was on a vacation.

He kissed the top of Ten’s head when the other shifted around slightly, mumbling something about food.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't forget this at all nope dkjfdfld
> 
> its finally here after a lot of crying about it and yeah its my child so pls love it ?? jfjkds

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to my sister for beta-ing this and surviving my rambles about this fic !! I LOVE YOU!!!!
> 
> im here for yelling:  
> tumblr @ moonoh  
> twitter @ moonohs


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